Cuisine of Aquitaine Region for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

A unique peculiarity of Aquitaine is a distinct difference in gastronomic preferences of people from different departments. For instance, Dordogne is practically filled with the smell of foie gras. They produce and consume this delicacy in huge amounts. Although, this well-known dish, made from liver, is not the only thing to try at the local restaurants. River fish, baked chestnuts, truffles, a unique variety of apples and fantastic wine – all this will be of a great appeal to a real gourmet. Those, who appreciate the substantial meal, will like a Poiak lamb, lampreys or Arcachon oysters, which are cooked great in Gironde. The center of Aquitaine, Bordeaux, is also included in this department. That’s why, besides cep mushrooms, artichokes, and cinnamon cupcakes, you will find great wine here as well.

People from Gironde are famous for their ability to harmonize alcohol with the masterpieces of culinary art for them to complement one another. If you are not certain which wine to choose, you can always ask a waiter. You should also try a great variety of asparagus dishes in the Landes department. For many years it was the basis of crops of the “sand plain”. Though, now there is enough quarry and fish. Lot-et-Garrone will please you with the Marmande tomatoes, kiwi and melons. Bayonne chocolate, Basque's desserts and many other you can try in Atlantic Pyrenees – this department is famous for the diversity of its cuisine.

Even the ways of cooking a dish vary from department to department. For instance, in Dordogne, they tend to stuff everything they can. Historically, poor peasants inhabited this land, and they preferred not to leave any left-over food. Usually, they turned the products they had into the stuffing. Now, the local restaurants serve stuffed cabbage or potato. Thus, the stuffing is not necessarily going to be meat. There may be a sausage or truffles with cognac inside a vegetable. Here you can also try Cabecou, a cheese, made from sheep’s milk. The inhabitants of the Landes are big fans of the poultry, cooked with a big amount of duck or goose fat. If you prefer low-calorie food, then the local restaurants are probably not the best place for you. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Nevertheless, even the greatest healthy nutrition adepts should try a ring-dove stew. This amazing dish won’t disappoint even the greatest gourmet. When in Lot-et-Garrone, order a round apple pie for a dessert. A Lamprey à-la Bordelaise is the best in Gironde. This peculiar fish, which lives a parasitic mode of life in its natural habitat, becomes in the hands of the local chefs a real delicacy. The lamprey à-la Bordelaise is usually served with garlic croutons. As a dessert, you can order cannele Bordelais. In the Atlantic Pyrenees cuisine, you can really feel the Spanish influence. In this department, the restaurants are famous for their veal and Bayonne ham “Ochoa” courses, for royal chicken in pots, Ossau-Iraty cheese and of course Bayonne chocolate.

All around Aquitaine you can try foie gras and canned duck. Besides great wine, we should do justice to grape brandy, called Armagnac, and Gascon Bouquet, a sweet alcoholic drink, served as an aperitif. There are countless restaurants in all five departments, where you can have a great meal. Chez Diego Plage restaurant is located in Arcachon, the “oyster capital” of Aquitaine. Obviously, here they serve seafood. By the way, if you want to try oysters, but you don’t want to wait, there is a place, called Huîtres Laban, in the middle of the market, where you can buy cooked seafood at a reasonable price. Buffalo Grill restaurants are located in Pau and in Bordeaux. La Belle Etoile in La Roque-Gageac , La Baraque a Huitres in Cap-Ferrat, Un Parfum de Gourmandise in Perigueux, and many other places are ready to slightly reveal you the secrets of Aquitanian cuisine.